Blank cutting and assembling machine



Nov. 2,1926. 1,605,383

F. ASHWORTH' BLANK CUTTING AND ASSEMBLING MACHINE Filed August 18, 1920 '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 2 1926. 1,605,383

F. AsHwoRrH BLANK CUTTING AND ASSEMBLING MACHINE August 18. 1920 "7 Sheets-Sheet Z5 100 @o .9p a

- Fig. 3. M64

F. ASHWORTH BLANK CUTTING AND ASSEMBLING MACHINE Nov. 2 1926.

7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed August 18, 1920 UD E /NVENTOH 07M M Nov. 2 1926. Y 1,605,383

F. ASHWORTH BLANK CUTTING AND ASSEMBLING MACHINE Filed Angus*v 18; 1920 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Nov. 2,1926. f 1,605,383

F, AsHwoR'rH BLANK CUTTING AND ASSEMBLING MACHINE Filed August 18, 1920 '7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Nov. v2 1926. 1,605,383

F. AsHwoRTH BLANK CUTTING AND ASSEMBLING MACHINE Filed Augus*u 18. 1920 '7 Sheets-Sheet 7' Patented Nov. 2, 1926.

FRED ASHWORTBLOF WENHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 UNITED SHOE MA- CHINERY CORPORATION, or JERSEY.

PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A' CORPORATION 0F NEW BLANK CUTTINoG-.AND ASSEMBLING MACHINE.

Application led August 18, 1920. Serial No. 404,409.

This invention relates to machines for cutmaterial to be cut is supported on a table which co-operates with and controls a plurality ofcutters so vthat the latter operate to produce lift sections of different shapesin a predetermined order, conveniently, 1n such ting sheet material into blanks and assembling, the latt-er to form composite articles.

It is common practice' in the manufacture of heels for cheap and 'moderately-priced lines of shoes to utilize Waste or scrap leather for one or for several of the lifts of a heel. Each lift made up of tWo or more pieces of leather is called a pieced lift, and such Aa lift secured to another or others ofsimilar make or to a one-piece lift constitutes a heel sec'- tion. According to one Well-known method of making heels, a heel section of the kind 'described is assembled with a top lift-of a good grade of leather and With a lift of leather or iberboard at the heel seat surface of the heel, the lifts and heel section being secured together and com ressed to prodiice a heel that is relatively c eap, yet durable, and susceptible of a high polish and of a fine finished appearance. Heretofore the manufacture of pieced-lift heel lsections has involved an immense amount of manual labor and slow and tedious operations. For these reasons also the labor obtainable for heel buildin is often of a relatively7 low grade,` indi erent, and ineicient. Under such conditions, material is seldom utilized to the best advantage and many defective heels are produced.

It is an object of this invention to provide a machine for cutting, leather scrap intoy ieces of predetermined shapes and assemling them to produce pieced lifts. Preferably a pieced lift is secured in superposed relation upon another or other pieced lifts or upon a one-piece lift to make a heel section, through the operation of means embodied in the machine and conveniently automatically operative for the purpose described. x

In one aspect the invention comprises means for cutting sheet material into pieces of different shapes bearing a predetermined relation to each other and assembling them to 'make a complete article.

As shown, the contour lines of the lift sections, Which coincide with or, more correctly, constitute the peripheral edges of the complete lift, are produced by a heel qlift die preferably under the control of the operator, While a plurality of cutters, preferably automatically operated, complete the shaping of the sections. In a preferred construction the an order that the sections taken as they rive at the assembling means ft together and produce complete lifts.

Since many of the pieces of scrap utilized for lift sections are wrinkled, bent, or corrugated, it is necessary to provide means for attening the pieces prior to the first cutting operation and for holdin the pieces in llattened or extended conditlon durin all subsequentJ shaping of the pieces. wSuc flatteningand holding means must be so located as not to interfere with the cutters. In the illustrative machine the attening means is operative through the die, and the holding means through@ the support for the pieces, one embodiment/of the' holding means comprising "relatively slender pins .which enter the pieces of leather from below and maintain them in extended or attened condition on the support.

blank which will be cut from the piece of material placed on anygiven block. Conveniently the means for holding the pieces of Work flat and in extended condition on lthe cutting blocks are s ranged as to serve as o -constructed and argages, the perforations in the blocks, through which the pins or Work-penetrating members of the holding means pass, being arr anged in groups to outline the shape and show approximately the size of the various blanks which will be cut on the blocks.

Another feature of sides in ,the assembling means which'takes the lift sections from greatest importance rethe supportv Where they were cut and assembles them accurately into lifts. Not only are. the sections properly postioned relatively to perfect lifts but the e each other to produce dges of the sections are closely abutted and maintained in such relation during the appl means.

ication of the securing lltlb Preferably the assembling means co-operates with a cementing means in such a manner that the lifts for a heel or a heel section are secured to each other while in the assembler. Subsequently the assembled and attached lifts are forced into a holder where, as heels or'hel sections, they have time to dry while under pressure.

Means is provided by which the assembler automatically discharges the assembled and attached lifts into said holder when they have been built up to a definite thickness,

the construction and arrangement being l' preferably such that heels or heel sections of various predetermined thicknesses may be produced by the assembler and passed on to the holder.

ln order that the heels or heel sections in the holder may be distinct and unattached, no cement is applied to the bottom of the last lift assembled in the assembling means.

For the same reason no cement is applied to the top face of the first lift which enters the assembler. In other words, cement is ap plied to the opposed faces only of the lifts as a result of a novel and highly efficient construction and arrangement of the assembling and cementing means.

ln the illustrative machine, the operator works at only one station where the pieces of leather or othermaterial are placed upon a work supporting surface on a rotatable table which is conveniently automatically turned to carry the work to thekother cutting instrumentalities and to present at regularly recurring intervals the work supporting surfaces in front of the operator. Preferably the cutter in front of the operator'is a die which imparts the permanent partof the outline to the lift section or other blank. Furthermore, this die, which is normally out of operative relation to the work supporting surface so that work may be positioned with ease and dispatch, is movable to operative position under manual control of the joperator. By reason of this arrangement all danger of linjury to the operators .fingers is obviated since the latter must be removed from the field ofc operations during the lateral movement of the die te! operative position. As shown, continued movement in the same direction of the manuallyr movable controlling member for the die initiates power operation of the machine.

A further feature of importance relates to theconnections of the cutters to the power operating means, a clutching means being Ainterposed between each individual cutter and said power means whereby the timing and the order of operation of the cutters can be determined with precision. Preferably control of the cutters, with the exception of the die. is exercised by means carried by the rotatable table which supports the work.

In the operation of the illustrative manaoaaaa chine, the work is placed in a position selected by the skilled operator and there it remains throughout all the succeeding cutting operations. Heretofore the operator was compelled to position the stock for each of the two, and oftentimes three, cutting operations on each piece of stock. rlFhere is evidently a marked saving of time and of energy for the operator in the use of applicants invention. Moreover, the operator now deals directly with only one cutter or die, Whereas in the past, work had to be positioned with respect to at least two cutters, and according to one method still practiced, twelve to twenty dies are used. rl`he result is a lessening of danger to the operator, an advantage of no inconsiderable importance. Other advantages of the invention relate to the excellence and uniformity of the product of the machine.

1While the illustrative machine is constructed for the purpose specically of cutting leather scrap material into lifts and liftl sections, it is to be understood that various important features of the invention may have other and independent applications and uses.

Other features of construction and combinations of parts will be described in the follow-ing detailed description and pointed out in the appended claims.

ln the drawings:

Fig. l is a plan View from above of the illustrative machine;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the table and part of the operating means therefor;

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation and partly in section with parts omitted to show the operating mechanism for the table and the die cutter with its operating mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a front view of the die cutter with its immediate operating means;

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of one of the knife cutters with its operating mechamsm;

Fig. 6 is a front View of the knife cutter shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a detail View of one of the adjustingl means for the knife cutter;

Fig. 8 is a View in side eleva-tion and partly in section of the mechanism for brushing the waste pieces from the table;

Fig. 9 is a view in side elevation and partly in section of the assembling means for the lifts, together 'with its operating mechanism and showing its relation to the table;

Mounted over the cutting bed is a pluralityof cutters indicated at 18 of which one is in the form of a die 20 (Figs. 3 and 4), the arrangement being such that vthe die 'cooperates with each and every one of the cutting blocks 16 while each of the remaining .cutters 18 co-operates with certain only of the blocks asy will be Hereinafter described. The operator stands at station A (Fig. 2) in front ofvth die 20 and places a piece of work upon each cutting block, especially selected for said block, as each block passes before him during the rotation of the table. The die cuts out a blank from the piece of leather orother sheet material on the cutting.

block and, if the piece be la'rge enough to make a vcomplete lift, it is placed only on the block shown in Fig. 2 at station H and no other cutter operates upon the blank thus formed. If, however, the blank formed by the die will make only part of a lift, one of the cutters 18 is arranged to operate subsequently upon the saine blank giving it a straight edge cut and making a lift section.

Progressively with the cutting operations' the table carries the lifts and lift sections to station H where an assembler 22 (Fig. 1) collects the lifts and lift sections in proper superposed relation to make heels or heel sections. Between each pair 'of lifts thus assembled a layer of paste'is applied as the assembler passes over a cementing means 24 (Figs. 1 and 11) on the way back from a holder 26 (Figs. 1 and 9) in which the heels or heel sections Dare deposited by the assembler. Preferably the holder is of a length to hold a considerable number of heels or heel sections built up of the lifts in the manner described so that by the time s they reach the outlet at the lower end of the holder (Fig. 9), the cement has had time to lgeferring to Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings of the illustrative machine it will be observed that the die 20 is supported detachably, by meansincluding a bolt 27, in a carrier 28 pivoted at 30 upon a bracket 32 extending from the standard 34. According to the preferredconstruction the members 36, pivoted at 30, are constructed in the form of casings adapted to receive the ends of the rods 38 which are adjustably secured in sleeves 40 extending from opposite sides of thecarrier 28. Surrounding and yieldingly supporting the upper end of each rod 38 within the housing or casing 36 is a sJring 40 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

arried by ea'ch rod 38 is a pin or stud 42 arranged to travel along a slot or cam path 44 1n opposite sides of the bracket 32, the said cam path beine so shaped that, as the die swings outwardlsy into position over the block 16, the roll on the stud 42 moving along said path will cause the die to descend toward the cutting block until the said roll reaches the vertical partv 46 of the slot or cam path 44, after which the die carrier is forced vertically downwardl by power means tov be described. l As indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, one of the casing members 36 is provided with a projecting arm 48 .along thev upper edge of which there is arranged to` travel a roll 50 mounted on a lever arm 52 pivoted at 54 on the bracket 32 and having a handle 56 (Fig. 1) in line with the axis of the roll 50, the arrangement v being such -that as the "operator moves the handle 56 away from the front of the machine, the roll 50 travels along the upper edge of the arm 48 and causes the die carrier to be moved about the pivot points 30 with the result, as before stated, that the die moves forwardly and also downwardly toward the cutting block. Just as the roll on the stud 42 reaches the vertical portion 46 of the cam path 44, the adjustable member 58 (Fig. 3) mounted in the lever arm 52 comes into contact with one arm 60 of a bell crank, the other arm 62 of which has a segment rack connection with the upper end of a rod 64, the lower end of which has a similar connection with an arm 66 securely attached to a shaft 68 which carries at its other end an arm 70 to'which is connected a link 72 leading to a train of links and levers for actuating the clutch on the main shaft of the machin. It will be understood from the foregoing description that as 'the roll 50 on the lever arm 52 reaches the end 74 of the arm 48, thus effectively locking the die in its extreme forword position with the roll on the stud 42 in the vertical slot"46, power operation of the machine begins, with the. result that the die is forced downwardly in its operative stroke to die out a blank from the material resting on the cutting block. In the construction shown, the die is forced downwardly in its operative stroke by a plunger 76 slidably mounted in a housing 7 8 at the front portion of the bracket 32, the plunger being arranged to contact with the upper surface of the die carrier 28 to force the latter downwardly. Upon retraction of the plunger the springs 40 return the die upwardly and backwardly to uncover the cutting block so that material may be positioned upon the block with being attached to the front end of the eccen-a tric to hold the strap in place. Pivoted at 90 to the lower end of the pitman 86' is a link 92 pivoted at its other end at 94 to one end of the lever 96 secured to a short shaft 98 mounted in a bearing 100 (Fig. 1) secured to the upper surface of the bracket 32. Secured to the other end of the shaft 98 is a lever arm 102 having ,a .projecting stud member 104 positioned in a fork 106 integral, ly attached to a spider mem-v with or xe ber 108 (Figs. 1 and 3) which does not rotate but which has an up and down motion through the operation of means hereinafter described. Referring again to Figs. 3 and 4, it will be seen that the link 92 is slidably secured in a tiltable bed member 110 pivoted at 113 in the upper end of the yoke member 112 fixed to the upper end of the plunger 76. llt will be clear that, with the link 92 and the pitman 86 occupying the positions shown in Fig. 4, rotation of the eccentric 82 will result in the reciprocation of the plunger 76. llf, however, the link 92 be moved to the left in Fig. 4 until the pivot point 94 reaches a point directly under the center of the shaft 80, in which case the pivot 90 will be positioned over to the left a distance equal to the space between the pivots 90 and 94, then rotation of the eccentric 82 will result in the reciprocation of the pitman 86 and an oscillation of the link 92 about the pivot point 94 without eilectin movement of the plunger l 76. For absor ing the rocking movement of the vlink 92 under the circumstances just described, there is provided, as above stated, the bed member 110 ivoted in the yoke 112 and oscillatable t rough a small are, as indicated in said Fig. 4. during the rocking movement of the link 92. It will be clear from the construction just described that the shaft 8O with its eccentric 82 may continue to operate the pitman 86 without affecting the die operating plunger 76 so that the latter is operated only. in properly timed relation to the other parts of the machine.`

Since the die 20 wears more or less rapidly during use and has its height reduced by sharpening, it is both necessary and desirable to provide for an adjustment of the plunger 76. lin the illustrative construction 'the yoke member 112 (Fig. 4) is integral with an eccentrically screw-threaded member 116 upon which is threaded a cylindrineoaaea cal sleeve member 118.1 Entering the latter member from below is a solid cylinder 120 carrying integrallyjtherewith a screwthreaded projection 122 which is adjustablr` in a screw-threaded socket in theumembe'r 116. To lengthen the plunger the cylinder 120 is turned counterclockwise and then the hollow cylinder 118 is turned downwardly until its lower end comes in firm contact with the ange on the head 124 of the cylinder 120, thus locking the latter member/,in its adjusted position and providing additional backing forthe head 124 which constitutes the head of the plunger 76.

'llhe other cutters 18 are mounted similarly to the die cutter upon other brackets 32 which are removably attached to the standard 34by bolts, as shown at 130 (Fig. 5), the arrangement being such that a greater or less number of the cutters may be mounted on the standard for use in a given time or under a given set of circumstances. In the illustrative machine these cutters are shown as knife cutters 132 mounted adjustably between clamping plates 134 secured together by bolts 136 which pass through slots in the knife so that the latter may be adjustable vertically, when the clamping plates are loosened, and set accurately in adjusted position by other screwthreaded members or bolts 138. As shown, the clamping plates 134 are integral with a slide member 14() having a portion 142 which is dovetailed into a slot in a carrier 144, the slide member beingy secured in adjusted position by means of a set screw or other similar means 146 operative in avmanner that is well understood. Extending upwardly from the carrier 144 is a circular boss 148 which is receivable in a closely fit-ting socket in the lower end of the plunger 150 shown as vertically reciprocable in the bearing 151 provided on the bracket 32. Extending through this boss and into a screw-threaded opening in the lower end of the plunger 150 is a bolt 1s securedto the plunger, the arrangement on the plunger. Provision is preferably made for adjusting the carrier about the vertical axis of the plunger and holding it secured in adjusted position. Wit-l1 this object in view the carrier 144 is provided-with outwardly extending wing members 154 (Fig. 7) which closely embrace fiattened surfaces on opposite sides of a collar 156 surrounding and lower end of the bearing 151. 1n adjusting the carrier 144 in the plunger it is necessary to loosen the bolts 158 of the collar 156, and turn the collar, thus causing the carrier to rotate on the screw 152 which passes through the carrier from below, whereupon the carrier may be airain secured in adjusted position by proper y manipulating the screw and clamping firmly upon thel being such that the carrierl is freely rotatable Y bolts aforesaid. Any other adjustment of the knife 132 maybe secured by loosening set screw 146 and moving the slide 140 to the amount desired.

Preferably the plunger 150 (Fig. 5) is operated from a shaft 160 through an eccentric 162 and a pitman 164 connected to the plunger through a link 166 similar in all rer` spects to the corresponding eccentric, pitman, and lin-k of the operating connections` described in connection with the diel cutter shown in Fig. 4. Similarly the link 166 (Figs. 5 and 6) is pivoted at 168to a lever 170 ixedly secured to a shaft 172 carried in a bearing 174 secured to the top of the bracket 32. In the position of the parts shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the pivot 176 which connects the pitman 164 with the link 166 is in the vertical longitudinal axis of the plunger 150 which passes through the center of the shaft 160 and hence rotation of the shaft 160 causes reciprocation of the plunger 150. If, however, the link 166 be moved to the left in Fig. 6 until the pivot 168 arrives at the position normally occupied by the pivot 176, then rotation of the shaft 160 causes an idle rocking movement of the link 166 about the pivot point 168 without affecting the plunger 150, the parts operating in the manner described in connection with the similar operating parts for the die' plunger illustrated in Fig. 4. As above described, a bed plate 178 is provided for the link 166 and pivoted at 180 in the yoke 182 at the upper end of the plunger 150, said plate rocking slightly about the pivot 180 during oscillation of the link 166.

Means ispreferably provided for automatically controlling the connections between the plunger 150 and its operating shaft 160, the said means comprising, in the construction shown, a controller member 184 (Figs. 5 and 6) pivoted at 186 to a bell crank 188 pivoted at 190 upon the bracket 32, the said controller member 184 being held with its lower end yieldingly in contact with the table 14 by means of a spring 185 attached at one end tothe controller and at its other end to a pin 187 extending outwardly from the bracket 32. In order that the controller member may be confined to vertical'movement, there is provided a link 192 pivoted at 194 to the controller and with its other end at 196 upon a bearing carried by the bracket 32. Preferably the lower end 195 of the controller member 184 is madeV detachable and is secured to the body of the controller by screws or bolts 198 and is so shaped that upon reversing said member 195 upon its vertical axis and in certain cases by also shifting it from one side of the body member 184 to the other side, the said end member 195 may be made to co-operate selectively with studs or cam blocks 200 positioned upon the table 14 in any one of are so respectivel four positions, for a pu ose to be hereinafter described. In the il ustrative machine onl three of |the four positions will be uti 'zed since only three cutters 'are employed. The cam blocks, as shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 6, have dovetailed portions so that they may be slidably engaged in slots in the upper surface of the table 14, spacing blocks 201 (Fig. 3) being also provided' for use in properly positionin the said cam blocks 200, all of the blocks eing retainable` in prop-er position preferably by means of a readily operable catch or retaining member in the form of a spring, as shown at 203 (Fig. 3). lReferring again to the bell crank 188, it will be observed that its upper end carries a pin 202 which is receivable in a slot 204 in a lever 206 (Figs. 1 and 5) pivoted at 208 to a lever arm 210 securely fixed to the shaft 172. As shown, the leverl 206 carries intermediate of its ends a projection 212 provided with a roll 214 receivable in the fork 106 on the spider 108 which is reciprocable vertically as will'be hereinafter more particularly described. It will be clear that vertical movement of the `spider 108 (Fig. 1) will merely rock the lever 206 about its pivot point 208 when the stud 202 at the upper end'of bell crank 188 is not in the forked end of the lever 206 and hence such vertical reciprocation of the spider will not rock the shaft 172. lIf, on the other hand, the contrbller member 184 be lifted against the spring 185 by means of one of the blocks 200 on the table 14 (Fig. 6) the pinor stud 202 on the bell crank 188 will be moved into the forked end of the lever 206 and become the fulcrum point for said lever. With the lever 206 fulcrumed as just described, vertical movement of the spider 108 will rock the lever 206 and thus, through` thel link 210, rotate the shaft 172 which controls the clutch or link connections between the shaft 160 and the plunger 150. Since the table 14 is intermittently rotated to present the cutting plates 16 successively to station A and to carry the work operated upon b the die at said station into position beneat `the cutters, at other stations, for selective operation by the latter, it is clear that all of the cutters which should operate on the work presented must operate simultaneously while the table is at rest. lHence Ithe spider 108 is in its lowermost position whilelthe table is at rest, the spider having been noved to said position just at the termination of the preceding iycle, whereby the shaft. 172 (Figs. 5 an 6) and the shaft 98 (Fig. 4)

are held in the position shown in the sai figures, so that rotation o f the actuating shafts 80 and 160, respectively, will cause reciprocation of the plungers which actuate the cutters.' both the` die and the knife cutters. If, however, any one or ositioned that the links 92 and 166v iio more of the cutters 132 should not operate on the work at the time beneath them, there will be no cam block 200 opposite to sald cutter to lift the controller member 184 and hence the fulcrum 202 for the lever 206 will not be in place and said lever lacking a fulcrum will not be operated to eiect movement of the shaft 172. Thus there will be idle connections ybetween the operating shaft 10 160 and the plunger carrying-the cutter 132. It will be understood that the pin 202 must be disengaged from the forked end of the.

lever 206 while the spider 108 is in elevated position to leave the member 166 in the position shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings.

Should there be any tendency of the member 166 to become displaced from its righthand position in the said figure a spring will be used to retain it in the described position. At the beginning of the second half of the cycle of operations, the table 14 begins its rotation to carry the blocks 16 from one station to another and at this time the spider 108 is in elevated position and as the cam block 200 moves from under the controller V184 the connection between the spider and the member 166 is rendered inoperative at the correct time to leave the member 166 in its left hand position in Fig. 6. Since in the last half of the c cle of operations the spider remains elevate until late in the cycle, it will be understood that the forked end of each-lever 206 is maintained at its high point so that it can be entered by its corresponding pin 202 if the latter has been elevated by the controller 184rding up on a cam block 200,

Inasmuch as the material which is used in the production of pieced heel lifts is usually `scrap leather, whlch often comes to the operator in a wrinkled, folded or corrugated condition, it is necessary to flatten or otherwise smooth out each piece before it is cut. For this purpose there is provided a presser 45. member which flattens the iece" of stock i prior to the action of the die 20, the said presser member being associated with the die and arranged to be operated, in the preferred construction, through the die to hold the stock during the dieing-out operation. As shown, the presser member 220 is mounted as a plate slidable in the die 20 (Fig/3) and backed by a spring 222 which surrounds a plunger 224 movable in the carrier 28 for the die, and u into a recess 225 (Fi 4:) in the lower end3 of plunger 76, so t at the presser member 220 may yield into the die during the cutting of the blank. Means is preferably providedfor engagin the blank cut by the die to hold it in its attened or extended condition, `otherwise the blank would again curl up r wrinkle or become otherwisedisplaced. For the purpose of holding the sheet material, there is provided, in the illustratlve construction, a plurality Lacasse of pointed members or pins 226 Figs. 3 and 9) supported on a plate 228 an adapted to be projected through perforations 230 (Fig. 2) in each cutting plate 16, the construction and arrangement being such that -the pointed members are projected to enter the blank cut by the die while the presser member is holding the material fiat. lt should be noted that the pointed members do not enter all parts of the material placed upon the cutting block but only the parts inside of the outline of the die where a whole lift is cut and, furthermore, the said pointed members enter only that portion of the material which is to constitute a lift section when the blank cut by the die shall have been trimmed by the cutters acting subsequently to the dieing-out operation. The reason for this arrangement of the pointed members or holding means lies in the fact that the waste parts must be swept from the table or otherwise removed before the lift sections arrive at the liftI assembling station H. Because of the arrangement of the holding means or pointed members which, as shown, are so grouped as to out- "line the shape and approximate size of the blank or'lift section to be cut on each individual cutting block, the perforations for the pointed members serve as an indicator and, broadly speaking, as a gage for the operator since he isenabled to tell at a glance the shape of blankl which will be nally cut from material placed upon any given block and thus can select the pieces of scrap so as to utilize the material to the best advantage.

The method of selecting and cutting the scrap material into lifts and into lift sections will be clear from a consideration of the disclosure in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Ever piece of scrap is operated upon by the ie at station A, the said die in its operation cutting a blank from the piece of material presented and conferring upon the blank whatever of permanent lift contour it will possess when assembled in a heel. If the iece of material is big enough to furnish a comtplete lift no other cutting operation is per ormed on said lift in its passage beneath all vof the remaining cutters and hence these cutters must be so controlled as not to operate on the cutting block carrying said lift and hence oposite this cuttin block (shown at station there is no stu or cam block 200 (see Figs. 2, 3, 5 and 6). With the cam block 200 absent, the controller member 184 is not operated to render the operating connections of the plunger for the cutter operative, as was made clear in the foregoing description. On the other hand, the cutting block shown in Fig. 2 at station AA will be operated upon b two other cutters besides the die 20 the said cutters being indicated by the heavy dotted lines at stations and C, the cutting plates which co-operate with the cutter shown at station B being shown at stations I, A and B, each cutting plate having opposite to it a cam. block 200 which operates the controller member 184 in the manner above described. For the sake of clearness, it is repeated that the blank shown on the cutting block 16 at station E was operated upon at station A by the lift die 20 and at station B by the cutter shown in heavy dotted lines. The blanks shown on the cutting block 16 at stations F and G were both operated upon by the die at station A and by the knife cutter at station D. The blank or lift section shown on the cutting block 16 at station D was operated upon by the diecutter at station A to produce the breast edge of the lift section and then was` subsequently operated upon by the cutters at statlons B and C, and the blank or lift section at station C was operated upon by the die at station A and by the cutters at stations B and C. It will be' observed that the various cutters are controlled primarily by the cam operate on the material on the given cutting block. Upon inspection of Fig. `2,A it will be obvious that the lift sections at F and G when assembled produce a complete lift. In the preferred construction, the lifts are assembled in the order at which they arrive at the assembler atV station H. A ain the lift sections at stations E, D an C, when assembled, comprise a complete lift and the same is true of the sections at stations B, A and I, the cutting plate at station H supporting a complete lift. Hence upon a partial rotation of the table 14 two pieced lifts may be assembled by one assembier. from the lift sections shown at stations G, F, B, A and I, to constitute a heel or heel section and a complete rotation of. the table will produce another heel or heel section collected by the other. assembler from the whole lift at station .H and lift sections' from the cutting plates shown at the stations E, D and C. 1.,

Operating at station .H is the assembling .means 22 comprising a plurality of assemblers, two in the illustrative machine, which co-operate alternately With the work supporting table to remove .the heel lift sections or heel lifts from the table in such manner as to assemble4 the lift sections into lifts in superposed relation to each other, cementing means 24 'being provided to co-operate with each assembler to apply a layer of cement between adjacent surfaces of each pair of lifts. As above stated, a holder 26 for the assembled lifts which make a heel or heel section is provided into which the latter are forced under pressure, the holder being of a sufficient length to permit of drying of the cement before the heels or heel sections are discharged at the .lower end. The assemblers are also transferrers and carriers of lifts, receiving them at one station and depositing them at another station.

In the illustrative machine each assembler comprises a head 236 (Fig. 9) comprising preferably part of a cross head or turret member 238 mounted at the upper end of a vertical shaft 240 so as to be rotatable and vertically reciproc'able with the shaft. As shown, when one of the -assemblers is posigtioned over thek Work` supporting table at station H, the other assembler is directly over the upper open end of the holder 26. Removably attached to the lower end of the head 236 is a plate 242 which supports the head'ends of a plurality of pointed members 244 against the lower surface of the head 236, the pointed members corresponding substantially in number to the perforations shown. in the cutting plate at station B so as to be operative to pick each lift or lift section as the same is presented on successive cutting blocks. the cutting blocks 16 are removable so as to vbe substituted by others of a different size or pattern, as may be desired. Mounted in the head 236 is a plunger-246 which passes through the plate 242 and has mounted on its lower end ac stripper plate 248 which has perforations located to receive the pointed members 244. As the lifts and lift sections are collected on the pointed members 244, the plate 248 is forced up- The plates 242 and wardly until a heel or heel section of a pre- /s/ion of the spring 260. Pivoted to the trip lever 252 intermediate of the 'ends thereof a`t262 is a pawl 264 which extends transversely through a slot in the head 236 and through a corresponding slot in the plunger 246 and which is pressed upon constantly bv a plunger 266 backed by a springI /268, both in the upper portion of the. plunger 246. The end of the pawl 264, when unlatched from over a plate 272 on the far side of the head opposite to the pivot for the said pawl, will rest on the to edge of said plate,

and during this time"t ehook end 254 of ,the trip lever isheld out of engagement with the hookgabutment 256 by reason of the contact of surface 270 on the tri olever with the pin 258. It will beobserv however, that as lifts or lift sections are assembled, the plate 248 is moved upwardly carrying with it the plunger 246 and hence the trip lever 252 is also moved upwardly, whereby a surface 274 on the trip lever 252 is moved into position opposite the pin 258, the. arrangement being such that the trip lever may move to the right (Fig. 9) when it is released by the pawl 264 to present the lower or hook end 254 in position to engage the hook abutment 256. For moving the trip lever to the left in Fig. 9 so that the pawl 264 may engage over the plate 272, there is provided on plate 257 the cam 259, above mentioned, which operates on the surface of the trip lever just above the hook 254 during the first part of the movement of the assembler away from the holder 26 and toward the cementing means 24. The

release of the pawl 264 occurs when a shoulder 276 on the plunger 246 engages' with the body of the pawl and lifts its end from operative engagement with the adjustable plate 272. The higher the plate 272 the thicker must be the heel section in the assembler to lift the plunger to unlatch the pawl. The unlatching occurs when a 4sufticient number of lifts have been assembled on the pointed lift retaining members 244. Then the trip lever is moved by spring 260 till surface 274 comes against pin 258 and upon the next reciprocation of the filled assembler in the position shown in cross sectional lines in Fig. 9, hook 254 engages beneath the abutment 256 and the plunger 246 is held from ascent with the cross head with the result that the heel section is stripped 'from the lift retaining members 244 and left in the holder 26. At a certain point in the upward movement of the cross head and assembler the pin 258 engages the surface 270 on the trip leve-r and causes the disengagement of the parts 254 and 256. For ensuring exact positioning of the cross head or turret upon each reciprocation there is provided a stud 278 projecting from the lower surface of the cross head and having a rounded end which is receivable in an opening 280 in the plate 257, which opening has a slightly flared upper end to receive and guide the stud and thus locate the cross head with respect to both the holder ,and the cutting block then at assembling station H. As shown, the lower end of the plunger 246 is reduced in cross-section where it passes through the plate 242 and for some distance above said plate, and in a socket surrounding the reduced portion Within the head 236 there is provided a spring 284 surrounding the reduced portion and operative to lift the plunger 246 such a distance that the plate 248 at the lower end of the plunger is retracted slightly from the ends of the pointed members244 where it will be in a plane slightly above the cementing roll of the cementng means 24 Leoasee 'whereby cement is not applied to the plate 248, thus ensuring that no. cement will be applied to the top surface of the first lift assembled by the assembler.

Between the holder 26 and the assembling station H on the cutting table there is positioned a cementing means shown in Figs. l and ll as comprising a roll 290 mounted to turn with the shaft 292 in a cement reservoir 294 supported upon a bracket 296 from which it may be removed upon releasing the lock 298. One end of the shaft 292 carries a beveled gear 300 which is constantly in mesh with a co-operating beveled gear 302 on the shaft 240. Preferably" the bracket 296 is supported by a spring 304 having its lower end resting on a stationary bracket 306 and receivable in a socket 308m the first mentioned bracket. The spring is of such a tension as to hold the beveled gears 300, 302 in engagement with each other and yet permit a slight downward movement of the bracket 296 with its cementing roll to accommodate heel sections which may vary slightly in their vertical dimensions, it being understood that the assembler picks up a complete lift or a pieced lift from the work supporting table at station H and carries the said lift over the roll to apply paste to the lower surface thereof, this operation occurring as the assembler moves from the holder 26 back to station H. It is to be understood that the cross head 238 which carries the assemblers makes a half rotation, each time a complete lift is assembled at station H, to interchange the assemblers, the one from station H going to a position over the holder 26, and that it is upon the return from the holder to station H that the cement is applied, the cross head making a complete rotation in one direction in two steps, thus making it possible for one assembler to collect lifts or lift sections at station H While the other assembler is over the holder 26 in which the assembled lifts may be deposited when sufficient have been accumulated to make a heel-or heel section of the desired number of lifts. By thus positioning the cementing roll so that cement is applied upon the return of the assembler from the holder toward station H, it is clear that no cement is applied to the bottom surface of the last lift assembled at station H. Since, as pointed out above, no cement is applied to the top-surface of the first lift and none to the bottom surface of the last lift, the heels or heel sections deposited in the holder 26 will not adhere to each other so that distinct and entirely separate heelsl or heel sections are piled up in the holder.

When the cutting blocks arrive at station H Where the lifts are assembled by the assembling means, the latter operates upon reciprocation of the shaft 240 to cause the pointed members or lift retaining means 244 of the assembler to penetrate the lift or lift section on the given cutting plate at that time positioned at station H. After the members 244 have penetrated the lift or lift section the lift holding members or pins 226 4are withdrawn downwardly, this timing of the operations being for the purpose of ensuring that the blanks or lift sections are retained in their flattened or extended condition, it being clear that if the pins 226 were withdrawn before the retaining members 244 entered the blanks, the latter might curl up or Wrinkle for reasons set forth 'in the foregoing description. Preferably the lower surface of the plate"312 is provided with a' hook 314 (Fig. 9) which comes into engagement `with a corresponding hook member 316 at the upper end of a rod 318 which is vertically reciprocable in bearings 320 in the frame of the machine. In the illustrative construction the lower end of the rod 318 has a reduced portion 322 which passes slidably through the end 324 of an arm 326 carried by sleeve 328 in turn slidable on a reduced portion 330 of the vertical shaft or rod 240. Mounted on the lower end of the plunger 240, which is further reduced, is a spring 332 having one end in 328, the other end of the spring 332 being in contacting relation with lock nuts 336 on the lower end of the shaft 240. Mounted on the sleeve 328 is a stud 338 carrying a roll 340 movable in a cam slot 342 in the cam wheel 344 securedA to the main shaft 346. Upon rotation of the shaft 346 the vertical shaft 240 ,is reciprocated and is pulled down yieldingly because of the interposition of the spring 332 between the sleeve 328 and the nuts 336 at the lower end of said shaft. It will be clear that the assembler 236 mounted on the shaft 240 is moved downwardly to cause the pointed lift retaining members 244 lto engage the lift on the block at station H and that subse-o quently the pins 226 are pulled downwardly through engagement of the arm 326 on the sleeve 328 with the lower end of the rod 318, a lost motion connectionlbeing provided between said arm and the-rod which causes the withdrawal of the pins 226 only after an interval as described. At station H there is a. depression in the support for the table 14 which permits this downward movement of the plate 312 which carries the pins 226. Similarly at'station A (Fig. 3), the plates 312 and 228 which are secured together are pulled downwardly to withdraw the pins 226 to permit of the piece of work being positioned fiat upon the cutting block through the operation of the presser member 220 in the die 20, the said downward movement of the plates being caused by a hook -member316 at the upper end of plate 16 is approaching the station A, the

rod 350 is held in its upper position so that the hook thereof may engage'over the hook 314 on the plate 312. As soon, however, as the given cutting block has arrived at station A, the cam roll 360 on one end of the lever 362 drops into one of two dametrically-opposed cam grooves 364 in the cam 366 on the lower surface of the wheel 368, thus permitting the spring 352 to actuate the rod 350 downwardly, withdrawing the, pins 2.26 to inoperative position. The cam 366 is so constructed and arranged, however,i as to project ,the pins upwardly through the operation bf the rod 350 before the presser-member 220 is withdrawn and the said plates 312, 228 are held upwardly by the surface of the support for the table until station H is reached where, as above described, it is again necessary to provide means to move the said plates downwardly and retract the holding pins. engagement with a washer 334 in abutting n relation with the lower end of the sleeve The holder forthe heels or heel sections which are received from the assemblers consists preferably of0 four angle bars, as shown in Figs. 1, 9, 10 and 12, having ared upper ends so that the heels or heel sections may be readily forced into the holder which is constructed yieldingly0 to engage the edges of the articles. Referring to Figs. 9 and 12, it will be observed that the upper ends of the angle bars 380 are provided with lugs 382 extending laterally therefrom and which are arranged to be secured to adjustable members 384 by means of screws or other retaining members 386, the adjustable members being carried by a bracket 388 extending from the frame of the machine and adjusted toward and fromveach other by a screw 389 held against endwise movement by a pin as shown in Fig. 12. Mounted in extensions 390 (Fig. 9) onsaid bracket are screw threaded members 392 and slidable on said members is a cross bar 394 having sockets therein surrounding the bars and in the sockets springs 396 (Fig. 1) are operable to yieldingly press the cross bar 394 in the direction of the bracket extensions 390. Both rods 392 have knurled heads rendering it easy to rotate them for adjustment purposes when it is desired to adjust the holder to articles of various sizes.- The cross bar 394 is provided with upstanding lugs 398 in pairs in which are pivoted ears 400 integral with or securely attached to the .upper ends of the angle bars 402 which constitute the remaining sides of the holder. As will be observed from an inspectionof Figs. 9 and 10, the lower endsof the angle bars 380 and 402 are provided with grooved members 404 around which pass one or a plurality of springs 406 encircling the holder and operating yieldingly to retain the angle bars a ainst outward expansion as the heels or hedl sections are forced down through the holder. The holder is therefore a press into which the heels or heel sections are forced under pressure and held until dry enough to be removed.

Means is preferably provided for sweeping the waste portions of the material from the table, waste portions being indicated on the cutting blocks in, Fig. 2 at stations C, D, E andl F. For this purpose there is provided (at station G) in the illustrative construction a brush 412 (Fig. 8) secured to the lower end of a lever 414 pivoted at 416 and carrying a cam roll 418 at its upper end for movement along the cam groove 420 in the cam wheel 422. As shown, the cam wheel is carried by the shaft 424 mounted in the frame ofthe machine and having a beveled gear 426 in constant mesh with the large beveled gear 428 secured to rotate with the shaft 430. As the brush 412 is moved inwardly it sweeps the material from the table 14 into the upper end of a chute 432, the mouth of the chute being guarded by a U-shaped scrap receiving member 434 open toward the cutting blocks and supported by a bracket 436 secured to the standard 34 of the machine. )Vlien the brush swings in the opposite direction the piece or pieces of Scrap Ulocated on the other side of the lift section held by the retaining pins is brushed over the edge of the table into a receptacle positioned at the outlet vof the chute 432. Preferably the openings 438 in the table 14 opposite each cutting block 16 are closedy at their lower ends by a plate 440 secured to the support onwhich the table rests, as shown in Fig. 3, the said vplate extending beneath thev openings 438 and making a complete circle except for the upper' end of the chute 432, whereby waste material is discharged at one point only and provision is made for preventing waste pieces or other material from falling into the gearing placed below the table.

While in Fig. 2, nine cutting blocks are utilized, it may be advantageous to make use of other numbers, for example, seven under certain conditions, the ones shown at stations F and G and the corresponding cam blocks 200 and controllers 500 being omitted. If the stock being cut by the die 20 is relatively heavy, brackets 441 (Figs. 1 and 3) may be bolted in place at stations E and F to back up the standard 34 against the thrust of the die operating at station A. It will be understood, of course, that brackets similar to thoseshown in Fig. y1 may be constructed to brace the standard 34 without interfering with the attachment of additional cutting devices if such should be desired, and that such strengthening brackets may be supplied by any skilled mechanic.

In the illustrative construction power means for driving' the machine comprises an electric motor 450, the armature shaft of which carries a pulley 452 which is belted to a large pulley 454 on a shaft 456 below and parallel with the armature shaft. This last mentioned shaft 456 has fixed thereto a beveled gear which is constantly in mesh with a large gear 458 which turns loosely on the main shaft 346. Interposed between the gear 458 and the shaft 346 is a clutch .and brake mechanism 460 which may be of any improved type, not herein disclosed but shown in applicants copending application Serial No. 414,410, filed August 18, 1920, or of any old and well-known construction designed to effect a single revolution of the shaft 346 upon each actuation of the starting means by the operator. As above described, the starting means comprises a handle 56 (Fig. 1) and connections leading through the shaft 68and link 72 (Figs. 1 and 3) to a lever arm 462 on a rock shaft 464 which carries another arm 466 that directly operates the clutch 460. As before stated, a single actuation of the handy lever 56 causes a single revolution of the main shaft 346, Securely fixed to the shaft 346 is a. beveled gear 468 (Figs. 3 and 9) which is disposed constantly in mesh with a beveled gear 470 fixed on the lower end of the upright shaft 430 mounted in bearings in the frame of the machine, one of which is shown at 472. Secured to the shaft 430 is the cam wheel`368 provided with two diametrically opposite rstuds carrying rolls 474 (Fig. 2) designed to enter the cam grooves 476 in a wheel 478 secured to the lower end of the shaft 480 (Fig. 9). As shown the wheel 478 carries four studs having rolls 482 thereon y which are arranged to enter between upstanding fianges 484, 486 on the large cam wheel 368, the construction and arrangement being such that the rolls 474 on the-'cam wheel 368 enter the cam grooves 476 in the smaller wheel 478 to rotate the latter while the rolls 482 on the wheel 478 co'-operate with the flanges 484, 486 to lock the wheel 478 against rotation in the intervals when neither of the rolls 474 are engaged with the wheel 478, the whole arrangement constituting an equivalent of other and better known forms of the Geneva movement mechanism. Securely, fixed to the shaft 480 is a small gear 488 arranged in mesh with a larger gear 490 which is securely attached to the lower surfaces of the table 14. Hence upon rotation of the shaft 480 intermittently as provided for by the Geneva movement, the table 14 makes one-ninth of a revolution to each complete revolution of the main shaft 346.

collect an entire lift.

The reason for this arrangement will be made clear upon reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings wherein it is seen that the table 14 carries nine cutting blocks 16, each one of which stops at station A beneath the cutting die 20, the arrangementbeing such that the table stops in position with a cutting block at station A upon which the operator may position the work. Attached to the up'- per end of the sha-ft' 430 is a cam wheel.492 having a, cam groove with two rises and two low parts' alon which travel rolls 494 .secured on studs iixed on the spider 108. The upper end of the shaft 430 also carries fixedly attached thereto a beveled gear 428 for driving a plurality of small beveled gears 498 on the shafts and 160 for operating the die and cutter plungers. The gear 428 bears a relation to gear 498 of four to one in order that the shafts for operating the die and cutter plungers shall ooperate at high speed and thus render effective the operative blow of the plungers. The spider 108 is moved up and down. once during each cycle of` the machine so as 'to control the linkL clutch mechanisms interposed between each shaft 80 and 160 and the corresponding die and cutter plungers so that the latter will not be operated'during the second revolution of the gears 498 in the same cycle of the machine. As shown, the spider is prevented from turning by reason of the engagement of an arm 499 (Fig. 8) in a vertical slideway 501 in a bracket fixed to an arm of the ma` chine frame. It will be understood that when the table 14 comes to rest at the end of a cycle the spider 108 is at its lowermost position and all of the controllers 184 of the cutting devices which are to operate in the succeeding cycle have been operated by the cam blocks 200 so as to render the link .clutches of the cutter plungers operative as above described. Then when the operator starts the machine the handle lever 56 the selected shafts 160 and the shaft 80 operate to effect a dieing-out and a plurality of cutting operations.

At the same time the cutters are operating on the workon the table the'assembler is also operated to collect and assemble the lift section atstation H, the assembler being actuated in properly timedrelation by means of the cam wheel 344 on the main shaft ,346 as above described. While the assembler is reciprocated at each cycle of the machine it is rotated at irregular intervals since it must reciprocate toward and from the work supporting table a varying number of times to Referring to Fig. 2, it will be clear that the assembler must reciprocate twice to collect the lift sections from the cutting blocks 16 shown at stations F and Gr in order to assemble one complete lift. 'Again the assembler must reciprocate toward and from the table 14 three times to collect onecomplete lift from the cutting blocks shown at stations C, D and E and only once to collect a complete lift from the cutting block shown at station H. For this reason the table 14 carries controller memscribed are so positioned with respect to cutting blocks 16 as to cause the actuation of the rotating means after a complete lift has been assembled inthe assembler. For eX- ample, the controller 500 at station F causes an operation of the rotating means for the assembler after the lift sections at stations G and F have been collected in the order name-d. When the table 14 comes to rest at the end of a cycle of operations one of the controller members 500, shown at stations I, C, F and H, may be in position to cause operation of the assembler rotating means. When it is in s ch position, it will occupy the dotted line osition shown at station H in Fig. 9, in whch case it will depress the vertically movable rod 502 which is slidable in a bracket extending from the machine frame and which is arranged to contact with the bolt 504 normally in raised position through the operation of the spring 506 to drive the bolt downwardly into an opening 508 in a plate 510 secured to a gear 512, thus locking the wheel 514 to the gear 512, the latter being driven by means to be described. Since the wheel 514 is' keyed to the shaft 240, means is provided through the bolt and plate connections just described for clutching the gear 512 to the shaft to cause rotation of the lattery and thus of the assemblers. Preferably a second bolt 516 is oprovided similar tothe bolt 504 and arranged to be driven into a similar opening 508 in the plate 510 by means acam surface 518 which engages the head of the bolt 516 upon rotation of the wheel 514, thus the more securely locking the wheel to the gear 512. It will be understood that this locking or clutchingof the gear 512 to the wheel 514 by means of the bolt 504 occurs when a controller 500 on the-table 14 comes in contact with the'` upper end of the slide member 502 at the termination of a cycle of Aoperations of the machine and-just as the table comes to rest. -When the machine is started again, the assembler will first be reciprocated through the action of the cam 344 on the main shaft 346 as above described practically at the same time that the cutters and die operate upon other pieces of the work, and then later in the same cycle the table 14 turns and at the same time the assembler turns because of the operation of the gear 512v which is driven from a gear wheel 520 on the shaft 480, through which shaft the table 14 is driven as above described, and an intermediate gear 522 interposed between the gear 520 and the gear 512 (Fig. 2). It will be understood that the assembler at station H picks up a lift or lift section from tlietable 14 at the same time that a built up heel section of two or more lifts is forced into the holder 26 by the other assembler. If, however, the assembler over the holder carries only one lift it will not be deposited in the holder since the trip lever 252 is not in position to be engaged by the abutment hook 256 Afor reasons above described. Hence, on the next rotation of the assemblers, the lift carried by the assembler shown over the holder in Fig. 9 will' move the lift over the cement- .ing roll (Fig. 1) and return to position over the table at station I-I where another lift will be assembled through the predetermined number of.reciprocations of the assembler, .cement being applied between each two lifts in the manner described.

In the operation of the machine the pieces of material are placed upon the cutting block 16 which at the time is at station A, the operator being guided in the selection of the piece of material by the perforations in the cutting block which outline the size and shape of the blank which will be cut in the co-operation of cutters and cutting block. When the material has been positioned, the operator operates the handle 56 (Fig. 1), in the manner described, by which the die is caused to operate on the material and by which the machine is started to cause the operation of the other cutters in the manner described. Since the machine is automatic in its operations after the positioning of the work, the operator has practicallyr only one die to attend to and in the cycles of operations heel sections or heels of predetermined heights are built up and deposited in the holder.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine of the character described, a work support, means for cutting sheet material positioned on the support into complemental blanks of diiierent shapes, and means co-operating with the support for automatically assembling the blanks in predetlermined relation to make a complete artic e.

2. In a machine of the character described, a work support and means co-operating therewith`for cutting complemental blanks of dii'erent shapes from sheet material and for automatically assembling the blanks in predetermined relation in the same' plane to produce a complete article.

3. In a machine of the character described, means for cutting from sheet material blanks of different shapes in predetermined order, and means for automatically assembling the various blanks to make a complete article.

4. In a machine of the character described, means for cutting from sheet material blanks of different shapes automatically in predetermined order, and means for assembling certain of the blanks to make a complete article and other blanks of different yshapes from those last mentioned to produce another article of the same shape as the first.

5. In a machine of the character described, a work support, and means co-operating therewith for cutting complemental lift sections from pieces of sheet material and for assembling said sections into lifts.

6. In a machine of the character described, means for cutting from sheet material blanks of different shapes automatically in predetermined order, and means for assembling certain of the blanks to make an article and other blanks of dierent shapes from those first mentioned to provide an article of the vsame shape as the first and for assembling thearticles in superposed relation.

7. In a machine of the character described, means for cutting pieces of leather into lift sections of various shapes, and means for automatically assembling certain of the lift sections to make a complete lift and for assembling other lift sections of different shapes from the first to produce a complete lift of the same size and shape as the rst and constructed and arranged for assembling lifts in superposed relation.

8. In a machine of the character described, means for cutting pieces of leather into lift sections of various shapes, means for automatically assembling certain of the lift sections to make a complete lift and for assembling other lift sections of di'erent shapes from the first to produce a complete lift of the same shape as the iirst, and means for securing the lifts togetherl in superposed relation.

9. In a machine of thecharacter described, means for cutting pieces of leather into lift `sections of various shapes, means for automatically assembling certain of the lift sections to make a complete lift and Jfor assembling other lift sections of dierent shapes from the first to produce a complete lift of the same size and shape as the lirst, and means for applying a layer of cement between the lifts to secure them together inv superposed relation.

llO

10. In a machine of the character described, means for cutting pieces of leather into lift sections of various shapes, means for automatically assembling certain of the lift sections to make a complete lift and for assembling other lift sections of different shapes from the first to produce a complete lift of the same size and shape as the first, and means for assembling the-lifts in superposed relation and for interposing a layer of cement to secure them together.

11. In a machine of the character described, a Work support, means for cutting pieces of leather positioned on the support into lift sections of various sha es, and means for assembling the lift sections into complete lifts in superposed relation.

12. In a machine of the .charapter described, a die for operating on pieces of leather to produce the permanent peripheral contour lines of lift sections, a plurality of cutters automatically operative to make cuts which intersect the said contour lines of the lift sections, and means for automatically assembling the lift sections into complete lifts.

13. In a machine of the character described, a table having a cutting surface, a plurality of cutters above the surface, and means for operating the table and the cutters in such timed relation as to produce lift sections of various shapes in a predetermined order so that as the lift sections are assembled in said order complete lifts are formed.

14. In a machine of the character described, a table having a Work-supporting surface, a plurality of cutters mounted above the table for co-operation therewith, and means for operating the cutters in a predetermined order to produce lift sections of various shapes collectable at a given station in the order in Which they arrive to produce complete lifts from the variously shaped Ylift sections. v

15. In a machine of the character described, a table having a cutting surface, a plurality of cutters for cutting lift sections from pieces of leather supported on the table, means for operating the cutters in a predetermined order, means for varying the order, and meansI for collecting the sections as they arrive at a given station to produce complete lifts in superposed relation.

16. In a machine of the character described, a table having a cutting surface, a die and a plurality of cutters mounted above the table opposite to the cutting surface, means under control of the operator for operating the die to produce a permanent lift contour cut on sections of lifts, means for operating the cutters to cut the lift sections along lines which intersect the permanent lift contour cut, and means for assembling the lift sections into complete lifts.

17. In a machine of the character described, a table having a plurality of cutting surfaces thereon, means for holding pieces of sheet material properly disposed on said surfaces, a heel lift die for making a permanent heel lift contour cut on the lift sections,

and a plurality of cutters controlled by the table for making cuts in the pieces of material which intersect the lift contour cut produced by the die.

18. In a machine of the character described, a tablehaving a plurality of cutting surfaces thereon, means for holding pieces of sheet material properly disposed on said surfaces, a heel lift die for makin a permanent heellift contour cut on the lift sections, a plurality of cutters controlled by the table for making cuts in the pieces of material which intersect the liftcontour cut produced by the die, and means for assembling the lift sections into lifts with the edges produced by the latter cuts closely abutting each other.

19. In a machine of the character described, a table having a plurality of cutting surfaces in spaced relation thereon', a heel lift die, arranged for co-operation With all the cutting surfaces in succession, for cutting pieces of sheet material to produce lift contour cuts on the pieces, a plurality of cutters for co-operation selectively with the cutting surfaces on the table for cutting the pieces along lines which intersect the contour cuts of the pieces, means for rotating the table intermittently to position the pieces of Work successively under the various cutters, and means controlled by the table for operating the cutters in predetermined order to make the intersecting cuts and thus produce lift sections which are collectable in the order in which they arrive at a duce complete lifts.

20. In a machine of the character described, a table having a plurality of cutting surfaces in spaced relation thereon, a heel lift die for cutting pieces of sheet material to produce lift contour cuts on the pieces, a plurality of cutters for co-operation selectively With the cutting surfaces on the table for cutting the pieces along lines which intersect the lift contour cuts of the pieces, means for rotating the table intermittently to position the pieces of Work successively under the various cutters, means controlled by the table for operating the cutters in predetermined order to make the intersecting cuts on thelift sections and thus produce sections which are collectable in the order in which they arrive at a given station to produce complete lifts, and means at said station for collecting the lift sections in superposed relation to make a heel or heel section.

21. In a machine of the character described, a Work support, a die mounted for given station to prolon movement about a horizontal axis from and 

